


Plus One

by ultraviolet_violet



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Though There Isn't Much Pretending, bughead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26287981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultraviolet_violet/pseuds/ultraviolet_violet
Summary: Jughead Jones was dreading the invitation for his best friends wedding. It wasn't because he was secretly in love with one of them, it was because he didn't want to be caught in his lie.When he stupidly marked himself for having a plus one, he has to find someone to take with him and fast. So he decides that the first woman that offers him a breath of her time will be perfect.While at his regular bar he goes to after work, his bartender, Betty Cooper, becomes the one he asks. Though it takes time, she agrees to come with him. They acknowledge that a fake relationship is what they need to do in order to convince his friends. But, by the time they arrive at the wedding, they're not sure just how much pretending (if any) is going on.
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 11
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was orginally going to be a one shot but it came out _much_ longer than I thought it was going to. In my mind, it was a slow burn but as soon as I started writing it, I couldn't stop myself from rushing into their relationship (whoops). 
> 
> I hope everyone who reads this enjoys! All of your comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!

Jughead groaned, frowning at the invitation on his phone. _You’re invited!_ It read. _Join us for the wedding of Archie Andrews and Veronica Lodge. Twenty-fifth of September at three o’clock in the afternoon. Dinner to follow._

He huffed, leaning back in his seat. He scrolled down on the email, tapping on the link that followed. He whined at what was on it, rolling his eyes. 

He knew this was coming, it was only a matter of time before he got the invitation. What he didn’t understand was why he had been telling the two of them for the past year that he had a girlfriend when he knew damn well that he didn’t. He hadn’t had a girlfriend since Toni and that was over a year and a half ago. They had stayed acquaintances, but she couldn’t play his semi-secret girlfriend, Veronica and Archie had both known that he and Toni split a while back. 

He glanced back down at his phone, staring at the RSVP. He could just put plus one then say she had a last minute switch up, but then that’d be a waste of money on Veronica and Archie’s end, it wouldn’t be worth it. 

He could just RSVP for himself only and lie and say that they broke up shortly before the wedding—but they would want stories and the night would be filled with them being sorry. 

He rolled his eyes, downing the drink he had in his glass before RSVPing with a plus one. He’d find someone, he was sure of it. He’d do it, even if it took him up to the minute he got to the wedding. 

He pushed his phone in his pocket, the bartender stepping over to him. “You want another one?” she asked and Jughead sighed. 

He glanced at the empty glass before nodding. “Just one, then I’m done.” 

“Mm,” she hummed with a nod while she poured more beer into his glass. “You say that every night.” He rolled his eyes jokingly and she took the money he handed her. “You know, you’re the whole reason I pay my rent because you’re here so much.” 

“See,” he started after sipping from the glass, setting it back down. “You’re making me sound like an alcoholic.” 

She raised a brow teasingly, leaning against the back counter as she cleaned a glass. “Are you?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “For you being here so much, I should know your name.” 

He nodded, agreeing as he said, “Fair.” She smiled a little, watching him. “Jughead. Jughead Jones. Yours?” 

“Ah, you’re going to learn your bartender's name. Flirting?” He shook his head with a chuckle and she set the glass she had down. “Betty Cooper.” 

“I’ll ask for you by name now, I guess.” She rolled her eyes playfully and he sipped from his glass again. “I got a question.” She raised her brows as an answer and he adjusted in his seat, folding his hand on the bartop. “What are you doing on September… fuck, hold on.” He pulled his phone out, reading the invitation again. “September 25th?” 

She giggled, sighing. “First off, I have a boyfriend so I should say no.” He nodded with a wince and she shook her head. “And second, you do know it’s only July 28th, right?” 

He sighed, nodding. “It’s for a wedding, my friend's wedding. I said I’d… bring a plus one and… I don’t have a date.” 

“Well,” she said, giving him a smile. “You have 8 weeks to find someone—preferably a single person, they can usually say yes.” He groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “Don’t like weddings?” 

“I hate them,” he huffed, shaking his head when he looked back up at her. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for them, but…” he shrugged, sipping from his glass again. “I wasn’t asking to be creepy or-or anything because we _just_ exchanged names, I’m just asking because for the past year I've been telling them how I have a girlfriend, and they’re going to expect to see her there.” He shrugged and she sighed. 

“You never know,” he furrowed his brows at her and she started to back away from him, moving towards another person at the bar. “A lot can happen in 8 weeks.” He chuckled and she winked with a smirk, moving to the other person with a smile. 

~

“You sit at a table now?” Jughead glanced up at Betty, sighing. 

He sat up higher in his seat, glancing back at his computer. “What do you want?” 

“Ooh, dickish. Doesn’t suit you.” She sat down in the seat beside him and he straightened completely. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled with a sigh. “I’m working.” 

She hummed, looking over at him with curiousness in her eyes. “On what?” 

He sighed, wiping a hand over his face before he held her gaze as he said, “My third book.” 

Her jaw slacked and she sat up so she was kneeling, her hands on her knees. “What? You’re a writer? You never told me!” 

“We only exchanged names, we don’t talk about real life shit.” 

“Um, excuse me,” he furrowed his brows and she gave him a pointed look. “Beer and liquor is a real life thing.” 

“Okay,” he chuckled, shaking his head as she giggled. “What do you need?” 

She sighed, moving so she was leaning back against the seat. “Well, you remember how you asked me if I’d go to that wedding with you and I said no because I had a boyfriend?” He nodded with a small smile. “Ask me again—if you haven’t found anyone else.” 

He chuckled, turning to face her. “Can you pretend to be my partner for my friend's wedding?” 

“Very formal,” she teased lightly and he could oddly feel a blush rise to his cheeks. “And yes. I will pretend to be your partner for your friend’s wedding. What day is it again?” 

“September 25th. But we have to go all the way to California.” 

“Holy fuck, a roadtrip, too?” He laughed and she huffed. “Sorry. I mean, you could fly, I’m not going to. I’m terrified of planes.” she mumbled, partially embarrassed. 

He nodded, closing his laptop. “Well, we can drive.” She nodded with a smile and he chuckled. “So, no more boyfriend?” 

“Nope,” she said with a shrug, sipping from the drink she had in her hand before setting it on the table. “Got rid of ‘em.” He furrowed his brows and she huffed. “If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, then you definitely write murder mysteries.” He chuckled and she smiled tinily. 

They were silent for some time before he cleared his throat, looking down at his hands. “The wedding, it’s at Calistoga Ranch. You haven’t been, have you?” 

“Never been to California.” She said quietly, picking her drink back up. “Do you listen to annoying music?” 

“Annoying music?” 

She winced, whining out, “I just don’t want to ride in a car for multiple days with a guy who listens to, like, really heavy metal rock music that hurts your ears a lot and gives you a headache.” 

Jughead nodded, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t want to be either. I can promise you, that’s not how it’s going to go.” She nodded, sipping from her drink. He sighed, rubbing his hands over his thighs. “Anyway, can you do math? Are you good with numbers?” 

She shrugged, sighing. “Not when I’m drinking.” He smiled and she bit her lip. “What do we need math for?” 

“Well, it’s a 42 hour drive. We gotta figure out-” she cut him off with a whine and a groan, sinking in her seat a little. “Listen, I know it sounds boring, but driving for multiple days is… it’s already a drag. I just want hotels booked and I want to know when we can stop.” 

She sighed with a pout, kneeling again. “Fine,” she whined, “I’ll help.” 

~

“I got it!” Betty said happily and Jughead looked over at her. “So, listen. We— _you_ —drive 12 hours for 3 days. Then, on the fourth day, you drive 6 hours.” 

“Hotels?” She whined and he gave her a tired smile. “I’ll figure it out tomorrow. But, if we leave 4 days before their wedding, we leave on the 21st—at 5am.” 

She gasped, laying her head back against the seat. “You are going to kill me.” 

“It’s 5am, just go to bed early.” She frowned, laying her head on his shoulder a second later. “Do you want me to walk you home?” She mumbled sleepily and he nodded, putting his computer in his bag and helping her out of the booth. 

~

The days leading up to when they left came quicker than either of them would have liked and before Jughead knew it, he was knocking on Betty’s door at 5:07 am. 

He stepped back and down a step on her stoop, leaning against the railing. She opened the door a second later, a frown on her face. 

“Just so you know, I hate you now.” she mumbled and he bit back his laugh, just giving her a nod.

“Not a morning person, got it.” She whined a little, stepping back and letting him into her apartment. “Your plants going to be okay while you’re gone?” 

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I have a self-water thing in them.” He shrugged, nodding a moment later. “I go to bed right now, not wake up. The sun isn’t even up yet!” 

“Oh, calm down,” he huffed. “You’ll be okay.” She huffed and he took her suitcase while she grabbed a pillow and a blanket off of her bed. “There you go, just sleep in the car.” 

“You better not go over any bumps.” He nodded, hiding his amused grin as he walked back to the car. “I showered and I didn’t even have enough energy to blowdry my hair. Now, it’s soaking wet and it’s cold and I’m tired and I don’t like this as much as I did before.” She fell into the passenger seat of the car with a huff and he shook his head. 

Please, do not complain this whole trip, he thought with a slight wince as he got inside the car himself. They both closed their doors and Jughead started the car while she buckled herself in. 

“I have rules,” she said after a moment, looking over at him. 

He held back his laugh, pulling out of his spot and buckling in himself. “About me? Driving? What?” 

She sighed, covering herself with her blanket. “First:” he hummed, nodding. “You go the speed limit. You can go five over at most.” 

“Five over, got it.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him for a second before she turned to look at the road. “Second: No annoying each other with music. If we don’t like it, we change it.” 

“My car, my stereo.” She gave him an unamused look and he nodded. “Don’t like it, change it—got it.” 

She nodded, settling further back in her seat. “You let me sleep in the morning because I don’t do waking up at 5 am or earlier. Also, we get coffee and breakfast—you cannot skip breakfast.” 

He glanced over at her with furrowed brows, a slight frown on his face. “I have to eat breakfast every morning?” She nodded, giving him a small tired smile. He rolled his eyes jokingly, sighing, “Fine.” 

“Good. I have no more rules and now, I will sleep.” He nodded, chuckling a little.”Wait. Actually, I’ve seen you smoking before.” He winced a little. “Don’t roll the window down too far.” 

He scoffed, nodding and offering her a smile when he glanced at her. “I promise, I won’t.” She smiled tinily, leaning her head against the window on her pillow as Jughead drove. 

~

“Thank you.” Betty took the coffee Jughead handed her with a smile, both of them getting back in the car. “I don’t like that I had to change in a gas station bathroom because it makes me feel like we’re on the run, but it was good enough. At least it was clean.” He raised his brows in response, sighing. “Okay, I’m bored.” 

“Already? You, like, just woke up.” He said it jokingly and she huffed.

“No,” she sighed, setting her cup down in the cupholder beside her. “I woke up two hours ago. I have read a quarter of my book and I’ve already seen everyone’s updates on Instagram and Twitter. I am now bored.” 

“I’ll give you something to do: finish my book.” He pulled his cigarettes out as he merged onto the freeway and she adjusted so she faced him better. “You have a question.” 

“I do.” He chuckled quietly, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it before rolling down his window. “What’s your book—or books—called?” 

“Nope,” he responded with a shake of his head. “I’m not telling you.”

“Why?” she whined. “You’re a published author, don’t you want people reading your books?” 

He sighed, groaning. “It’s weird when people I know read what I write.” 

“Why? Is it like _Fifty Shades of Grey_? Are you a knock-off E. L. James?” 

“Oh my god,” he laughed. “No. I just think it's weird. My first book, I wrote it in high school. It got published when I was 20, it was a New York Times best seller for… 11, maybe 12 weeks. My second book got published three years later, and was a New York Times best seller for 10 weeks. Now, I’m on my third one, and I can’t even focus on it.” 

She nodded, chewing her lip. “Is it a series?” 

“No. My publishers wanted a series because my first book did so well, but I don’t want to just sit and write one story forever, you know.” He took a drag of his cigarette, Betty watching the smoke float out the crack in the window. “That shit gets boring.” he sighed, tapping ashes off of his cigarette and out the window. “Then again, I could always just start a series now. As much as I hate admitting it, it would probably do good—really good.” 

She sighed, groaning as she dropped her head back against the headrest. “Let me read your books.” 

“No,” he laughed, finishing his cigarette. “It’s not going to happen.” 

She whined, huffing. “I won’t say anything. I just really, really want something to do. I can give you constructive criticism even though I don’t know how to do that.” He sighed, giving her an amused but uninterested look when he glanced at her. 

She pouted, giving him soft eyes as she whispered “Please” with a small smile.

“Oh my god,” he mumbled, wiping a hand over his face. “There’s copies in the box on the floor back there.” She squealed, turning in her seat quickly and leaning over the center console. She picked two books off of the top, settling back in her seat. 

“Why do you have them?” 

“They’re the signed copies of them. I’m supposed… sell them on Ebay when my sales look bad—publishers' words, they’re honestly hogs. It’s supposed to get people talking about me again, but I don’t want to do that.” He cringed, shrugging. “It’d-It’d be rigged and… I don’t like that.” 

She looked from the books in her hand to him, her smile wide. “I get signed copies.” 

“Sh-” he cut himself off and gave her a smile, Betty giggling as she settled in her seat. “It doesn’t matter what order you read them in.” 

“Which one came first? I want to read the one you wrote first… first.” He sighed, glancing at the books in her lap quickly. He tapped the one in her left hand and she looked at it. “ _Sweetwater_. Hm, what’s it about?” 

He sighed, shrugging. “My shitty ass town.” 

“Wait. Is that why you don’t want people you know to read it?” 

He shook his head, clearing his throat. “No, they-they _all_ know about. They watched me… since sophomore year write this damn thing. And I had to get disclosures on everyone and they all had to sign agreements because there is true shit in there that we don’t want people knowing about.” 

Her face fell slightly and she winced. “Are you a serial killer?” 

He scoffed, chuckling. “God, no, Betty. There is a killer and he is real, but it’s not me. The guy’s in prison, and he’s gonna be there until the day he dies.” 

“So, this—the first book—is a true story?” He nodded and she grinned.

“Stop smiling,” he joked, feeling himself starting to get flustered. 

“No, I’m excited!” she exclaimed with a laugh and he just shook his head. “I get to learn about Jughead.” He chuckled and she squeaked quietly, sinking in her seat and opening the book. 

~

Betty closed the book carefully, furrowing her brows at Jughead. “Are you sure this actually happened?” Jughead chuckled, nodding. “This is, like, terrifying. Like, a girl was seriously killed at your school play and you had no idea about it? And-And you knew the killer and-and you were… what the fuck?” He laughed, pulling into the parking lot of a hotel. “Jug, half of this… it doesn’t seem real.”

“Riverdale doesn’t seem real anymore, not after all of that happened.” She watched him carefully and he sighed. “Obviously, parts of it are over exaggerated. Like, the way he killed. I had to make that more interesting and a little more gory for my publishers to like it. But it’s all based off of true facts and real experiences.” 

She shuddered and huffed. “I don’t like that. That’s-That’s… how did you… sleep at night?” 

“I didn’t.” She winced and he parked the car. “I didn’t sleep more than… maybe 2 hours a night if I was lucky—during the heat of his killing. He was targeting people that… that she knew and people she was close with and that’s-that’s terrifying. And I was sure there was only a matter of time before there was a hit on my back.” 

“So, the gang part, that’s real? You were actually in gang and your dad… covered up a murder?” He nodded and she sighed. “Wow. I never… I thought I had a bad high school experience and… I am never going to complain ever again.” 

He chuckled, sighing and opening his car door. She followed a moment later. “I moved afterwards,” he started. “When he got put in prison. I went to Toledo with my mom and sister.” 

“That’s not in the book.”

“I know,” he said quietly, leaning against the roof of the car as he held her gaze. “I just wanted to tell you.” She smiled brightly, biting her lip as she nodded, turning away from him as he exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 

~

Betty skipped over to Jughead’s bed, sitting down beside him. “I have a question.” He looked from his computer screen to her and she flashed his second book to him. “True story or not?” He shook his head and she sighed. “So, what’s gonna happen in it?” 

“You gotta read it to find out.” 

“That is so second grade.” He chuckled and she sighed. “What made you want to start writing? Or-Or like, how do you get ideas?” 

He exhaled slowly, closing his computer and setting it aside. “I don’t know. It just… happened with my first book. Um, it was more a way to cope with what was happening in that damn town because no one knew what to do. But then, with my second book… the idea popped into my head.” 

“Is it still murder mystery?” He nodded and she huffed, giving him a pointed look. “How… nasty is it?” 

“Um, if I have to guess, probably worse than my first one—not by a lot, though. Just… sensitive topics.” She shuddered, cringing a little. “Look, if you don’t want to read it, you don’t have to.” 

“I want to, I just don’t like death.” He gave her an incredulous look and she laughed. “Don’t look at me like that. I can’t read it at night, so I’ll read it in the morning.” 

“Sounds good,” he laughed. “And you… you went through Sweetwater in like… 9 hours?” 

She nodded, giving him a small smile. “I read books fast. I read fast, period. I don’t know why, don’t you, like, train yourself to do that?” 

“I may have had to do some research on sociopaths and shit for books, but I have no clue how the brain works, Betty.” 

She frowned, standing up as she mumbled, “Damn.” He held in a laugh, shaking his head. She got into bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin. “I’m going to go to bed and dream about rainbows and unicorns because your writing is creepy.” He winked and she giggled, rolling over to face the window so he wouldn’t see the blush that covered her face. 

~

Jughead walked out of the bathroom with a sigh, walking over to Betty’s bed. He took in how peaceful she seemed when she was asleep and questioned where the small stuffed cat she was holding tightly came from. He chuckled a little at the sudden flutter of glee that swarmed him as he registered the cuteness of the image in front of him. 

He shook his head with a sigh, wiping a hand over his face a moment later. _No, you’re not gonna do this. You two go to the wedding, pretend to be together, move back to being bartender and customer._

She moaned a little and his eyes widened when she blinked her eyes open. She sat up, squinting through the light at him. “Were you watching me sleep?” she asked, concern laced through her voice. 

“No!” he exclaimed quickly, stepping back and tucking his hands in his pockets. “I-I was… I was coming to wake you up. If you want… if you want to shower, you have to do that now.” She narrowed her eyes and he swallowed thickly. “I wasn’t watching you sleep, that’s…” he shuddered at the thought. “It’s creepy and that makes me uncomfortable.” 

She nodded, groaning as she fell back on the bed. She folded her arms over her head and he clenched his jaw, looking away from her as the blanket slipped slightly away from her waist. “What time is it?” she asked tiredly as she rubbed her eyes. 

“Uh,” he cleared his throat, glancing over his shoulder at the alarm clock on the dresser that was at the end of the beds. “It’s-It’s… It’s, uh, 4-4:30.” He stammered out, focusing on her eyes. 

“Why are you acting like that?” 

“I’m-I’m not acting like-like anything.” He nodded, rocking on his feet. 

She sat up, sighing. “You’re weird, it’s cute.” He nodded again, feeling his face heat up. She giggled quietly, standing up out of the bed. He looked out the window rather than at her bare legs, cursing himself in his head. 

~

Betty twisted her lips in thought, setting her coffee in the cupholder. “So,” she started, glancing over at Jughead. “You’re not going to tell me _anything_ about the book before I start it? Like, not even their names?” 

He chuckled, tapping ashes out the window from his cigarette. “No, I am not. And you’re gonna know their names when you open the book.” She frowned and he gave her a serious look. “I’m not spoiling the book for you.” 

She rolled her eyes playfully, sighing as she sunk in her seat a little bit. “Fine, I guess.” He gave her a smile and she smiled back, sitting up quickly. “Just tell me something!” 

He scoffed, huffing. “You’re gonna kill me.” She pouted, giving him a soft look. “I’m not telling you anything. Listen, you’ll know the main characters' names by the end of the first chapter. By the end of the fourth chapter, you’ll know most—if not, all—secondary characters names. There’s not much to tell.” 

She nodded, sighing, “But what’s the plot?”

He gave her a questioning glance, asking, “You do realize there’s a synopsis on the back of the book, right?” She frowned, turning it over. “There’s your plot.” She made a hmph noise as she sat back in her seat, opening the book. 

She was silent for a minute before she looked over the top of the book at him, furrowing her brows. “Why don’t you dedicate your book to anyone?”

He laughed, shaking his head. “I haven’t had anyone I’ve wanted to dedicate my books to. Also, I don’t think you dedicate murder-mysteries to people. I think that’s more of a… light-hearted book thing, and I don’t write light-hearted books.” 

She huffed, nodding. “That makes sense.” He raised his brows as a response, taking a drag from his cigarette. “Okay, I guess I’ll read now—I’m suing you if I get night terrors.” He nodded as she fell silent in her seat.

~

Betty sniffled, crossing her arms as she stared out the window. Jughead bit back a laugh in the driver's seat, shaking his head and breathing deeply to get the grin on his face to go away. 

She wiped at her face with another sniffle and he glanced over at her. “Come on,” he started, looking back at the highway. “You couldn’t tell that it was coming?” 

“I’m not talking to you,” she said sassily, holding her head high. “You hurt my feelings.” 

He sighed, covering his mouth when he started to chuckle. He let out a deep breath to collect himself, stating, “He was a sociopath and psychotic, and it wasn’t like she was his first victim. How can you expect a sociopath to fall in love with someone and not get upset when that person gets with someone else instead?” 

“But he _killed_ her. He loved her and he killed her!” He nodded and she groaned. “That’s not fair, she didn’t deserve it.” 

“No one ever deserves to get killed, Betts.” She frowned, crossing her arms and holding her nose high. “Yes, yes. You’re mad at me, I know.” 

She looked over at him, tears in her eyes. “Why did you have to kill her?” 

“Betts, she wasn’t his only victim.” She whined and he chuckled quietly. “She loved him, does that make it better?” 

She looked at him, her eyes slightly hopeful. “Did she?” He glanced over at her quickly, giving her a nod. “Well, that makes it a tiny bit better, I guess, but I’m still mad at you.” He nodded, sighing. 

“I think I can handle you being mad at me for five more minutes.” She smiled a little and he raised his brow. She shook her head, frowning. “Totally pissed.” She gave him a fake snarl before he scoffed, shaking his head incredulously. 

~

That night after they had gotten to their hotel, they had eaten dinner and had fallen asleep shortly after. They were up early the next day, getting ready for the next twelve hour car ride silently around each other. They had been silent for most of the beginning of the car ride and Jughead hadn’t even realized she had fallen asleep. 

When he had, he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He found himself a little small-minded for not realizing she was asleep. She was constantly humming and mumbling throughout the whole car ride, so when he heard the silence over the stereo, he should have known. 

He turned the radio down low so it could barely be considered background noise and settled further into his seat. He tapped his thumbs against the steering wheel, trying to focus on the road. He squinted at it for long moments and readjusted himself at least ten times, but, for some reason, he couldn’t do it. It was too quiet. 

_You could just turn the music back up,_ he told himself in his head. He rolled his eyes, turning the music off completely. He huffed a moment later, squeezing his hand around the steering wheel in a tight hold. 

He switched the music back on, dropping his head back with a groan. _God,_ he thought. _Silence is normally a good thing._

He was tired of seeing miles and miles of freeway. The road was becoming one sloppy mess and he didn’t even know where they were. He glanced at his phone, the words on the GPS reading _Salt Lake City, Utah._ He cringed, adjusting in his seat again and pulling out his cigarettes. He lit one quickly, taking a long drag of it as he stared at the person's license plate in front of him. He had the number memorized in minutes and he rolled his eyes, taking another drag from his cigarette. 

His phone rang a second later and he sat up quickly with a wince, answering it and checking on Betty with a nervous look.

“Woah, you’re awake at 7am?” Archie said with a chuckle after Jughead answered the call. “Nevermind. You ready for the wedding?” 

Jughead furrowed his brows at Archie’s question, tapping ashes off the end of his cigarette and out the window. “I think that’s what I’m supposed to be asking you.” Archie chuckled again and Jughead sighed silently. 

“So,” Archie started and Jughead could imagine his happy grin through the phone. If Jughead was as in-love as Veronica and Archie were, he’d be grinning 24/7, too. “Are we finally going to meet this infamous girlfriend of yours? Veronica thinks it’s Toni, she thinks you two should get back together.” 

“Well, you can tell her that it is most certainly not Toni.” Jughead said with a huff, taking the last drag of his cigarette. “And yes, she’s coming with me.” Archie laughed and Jughead could hear Veronica’s groan in the background. “You two have bets going about if she’s real or not?” 

“Maybe…” Archie responded with a slight wince. “We just thought you and Toni would stick, you know-”

“Can we not talk about Toni?” He said sternly, wiping a hand over his face. 

“Sorry, Jug. We thought you two were cool.” Jughead hummed quietly, glancing over at Betty and sighing. He wanted her to wake up so he had a reason to escape the phone call. “We just-” Almost as if his prayer was answered by some unknown god, Betty whined, huffing a moment later and giving Jughead a questioning look. 

_Thank god,_ he thought with a breath of relief. “Uh, Arch,” he scrambled. “I-I gotta let you go. I’m gonna lose service soon.” He ended the call before Archie could say anything else, watching his phone go back to the GPS before he offered Betty a wry smile. “Did I wake you?” 

“Eh,” she said quietly, rubbing her eyes. “I was kinda already awake a little.” He nodded, sighing. They were quiet for some time before she looked over at him, giving him a questioning look. “Who’s Toni?” 

He winced silently, feeling her eyes burning into the side of his head. “She-She’s my ex.” 

“Bad break-up?” Betty asked with a raise of her brow. He glanced at her, giving her a clipped nod. “What happened—if-if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Um,” he shrugged, shaking his head. “She cheated.” 

Betty gasped silently, looking at her hands. “Oh. I’m sorry.” 

Jughead shook his head, sighing. “It’s not your fault, I don’t blame her for it, either. I wasn’t enough, I can’t… change that. I couldn’t change how she felt.” He rested his cheek on his fist, scanning the new car's license plate that appeared in front of them. “I mean, it hurt, but it's not like I’m going to go beat the guy up—it’s not worth it. She did something that… we couldn’t get over, it’s life.” 

“So you don’t like hearing abo-” 

He looked over at her, inhaling sharply and cutting her off as he asked, “Do you want coffee?” She nodded slowly and he nodded himself, looking back at the road. 

~

The drive for some time after that was silent and awkward, leaving Betty unnerved in her seat. She wanted to break the bubble of quiet that had captured them, but she didn’t know what to say. Obviously, asking any more about Toni was 100% a no-go seeing as it got them in the situation in the first place. 

Betty glanced over at Jughead and bit her lip. His brows were furrowed and he was smoking what felt like his fifteenth cigarette of the day (she wondered what his lung scans looked like). He seemed upset still and she wanted to cheer him up but didn’t know how. All she really knew was what beer he drank, and she couldn’t get him any. 

_Maybe he’s uptight because he hasn’t drank since we left,_ she thought. She frowned at herself, shaking the thought away. _He doesn’t rely on alcohol._

She sighed, shaking her head. “Um,” she said softly. “Are you close with any of your family?” He gave her a weird look and she huffed. “I’m tired of it being so quiet.” 

He nodded, wiping a hand over his face quickly. “My dad, that’s about it. I don’t… I don’t talk to my mom really at all anymore and my sister… I don’t know about my sister.” 

She watched her hands, chewing on her lip. “You don’t… you’re not mad at him for what he did? Or-Or he’s not mad at you for leaving?” She asked, tucking hair behind her ear when she looked up at him. 

“No, I’m not. It happened… he did it for money, he did it because he had to. But my dad, he was the one that sent me to be with my mom. I wanted to go, but I wanted him to come. Obviously, he didn’t. Well, really, he couldn’t.” She nodded and he took a drag from his cigarette. “What about you?” 

“Am I close with any of my family?” He nodded and she shrugged, sliding down in her seat a little. “Not really, no. My dad, we don’t talk. I don’t… there’s issues there. My mom, we talk sometimes. But, like with my dad, we have a lot of things to get over before we _actually_ have a good relationship. And my sister, I don’t know what happened with my sister. We used to be really close when we were younger…” she sighed, starting to pick at her nail. “But then she met this guy from school and, um, they started sleeping together and she just became a different person. I went from… from being the person she told everything to, to the annoying little sister who didn’t know boundaries.” 

“Damn,” he whispered and she felt the corner of her mouth tease a smile at the muttered word. “I’ve never… I don’t know, I think I did that to my sister.” She furrowed her brows, glancing over at him and taking in his somber look. “When I… when I first moved, it was like when we were younger all over again. We did… everything together because she was the only person I knew, but she was also my baby sister and I had already missed so much. But then I… then Toni and… and no more Jellybean and I. It was just… she became my little sister—the spoiled brat.” 

“Ouch.” Betty said with a quiet wince and he nodded sadly. “You know, you don’t _have_ to leave everything like that.” He gave her a confused look when he took a quick glance over at her and she sighed, turning in her seat so she could face him. “You can… apologize. You can explain to her what happened, what went wrong. You need to do that. I’m sure she has things she wants to talk to you about.” 

He was quiet for a minute before he scrunched up his face in almost disgust. “I was a dick to her, though.” 

“So?” She answered with a shake of her head. “ _Change that._ If you do it, I do it.” 

He chuckled, “What are we, a support group?” 

“No,” she said as she bit back a giggle. “We both need to make up with our only siblings because it’s the right thing to do. I’d do anything to get my big sister back, and I’m sure your sister would say the same about you.” He sighed, shrugging. “Just think about it, okay?” He looked over at her, nodding as he looked back to the road a second later. 

~

Betty looked at the time in confusion, twisting her mouth in thought. She put the book she had down, looking at Jughead. “Jug,” she said softly and he glanced down at her quickly. “You know, it’s way past when we normally stop.”

He nodded, sighing. “Yeah, I know.” She raised her brow questionably at him and he huffed. “We’re going somewhere.” 

“Where?” She closed her book, setting it aside as she watched him turn off of the freeway. “Jughead, where the hell are we going? Jughead!” She started to hit him and he huffed. “Tell me where you’re taking me! Tell me!” 

“Betty!” He grabbed her wrists and she froze, breathing heavily as she gave him a frightened look. “We are going to a lake.” 

“It’s cold and why? Jughead, why?” Her bottom lip started to shake and tears filled her eyes. 

“Breathe,” he said, glancing from the road to her. “We’re going to a lake because we have been staring at a freeway this whole time. I can’t… I’m not doing anything to you, I just need to be somewhere that isn’t a road.” A tear slipped from her eye and he slowly set her hands in her lap. “You don’t have to get out of the car, I just need to walk or-or something,” he looked over at her, his eyes soft. “Okay?” 

She nodded slowly, swallowing thickly and wiping her cheeks dry. “I’m sorry for hitting you… and yelling.” 

“You’re fine, Betts.” She clenched her jaw, raising her knees up to her chest as she stared out the window. They were silent until he pulled over on the side of the road, parking the car. “I’ll be down on the bank, okay?” She nodded without looking at him, hearing him sigh before he got out of the car. Out her window she could see him wipe his hand over his face before he pushed his hands in his pockets, disappearing down the bank beside the lake. She bit her lip, looking around herself. 

She was alone, in a car, in the middle of nowhere and she had no clue what she could use if some random person was to run up to the car. She supposes she could use Jughead’s keys, but they would only do so much. She watched as it started to get darker and she whimpered, sinking down in her seat. She glanced out her window, huffing when she couldn’t even see the top of Jug’s head. 

She groaned, unbuckling and turning off the car. She got out a moment later, tightening her sweatshirt around her body and locking the car four times over—just in case.

She sighed as she followed Jughead’s foot prints, his head turning. “You got out.” he said, taking a drag from his cigarette and taking his keys when she stepped beside him. “Still not gonna talk to me?” 

She huffed, looking away from him and up at the sky. “Woah,” she whispered quietly and he chuckled. 

“It’s pretty, huh?” She nodded, sitting down beside him and staring up at the sunset. “I should have told you I was doing this earlier. I’m just tired of only… staring at the road all day. I mean, we’ve been through 10 states and this is the only place we’ve stopped to actually look at.” 

“10 states?” He glanced over at her, nodding. “I didn’t know that.” He raised his brows in response, looking back at the lake. They were quiet while the sun set, sitting in comfortable silence next to each other. Betty had brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin between them while Jughead sat criss-cross next to her.

After the sun was gone, Jughead stood, clearing his throat before he said, “I guess we should go.” 

She looked up at him, her eyes questioning as she whispered, “Do we have to?” He looked down at her for a moment before he shook his head, slowly sitting back down next to her. “How cold do you think the water is?” 

He furrowed his brows and she looked over at him with a small smile. “Um,” he started, chuckling. “Probably pretty cold.” 

She giggled a little herself, looking at her hands before glancing back at him. “I want to swim.” 

“You’re gonna get hypothermia.” 

“We can get it together.” She stood up and held out her hands. He narrowed his eyes at her and she bit her lip before giving him a smile. “Please?” 

She raised her brow and he watched her for a moment before he sighed, standing up. “You’re paying for my medical bills.” She squealed and the two of them started to undress until they both stood in their underwear at the front of the dock that stretched into the lake. “You have to get in first. This was your idea.” 

She winced, shaking her head. “No, you’ll just back out if I do.” He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “Get in with me, that way neither of us can get out of doing it.” He gave her a pointed look and she held out her hand. “Come on.” 

He sucked his teeth for a minute before he clasped her hand in his, shaking his head. “The shit that runs through your head.” 

She giggled a little at his mumbled words before they both jumped into the water, Betty shrieking when her head came up out of the water. 

“I am _never_ listening to you again! Holy fuck!” he shouted and she laughed, the two of them climbing out of the lake. 

There were goosebumps covering both of them as they collected their items, walking back to the car. He opened the trunk, finding a blanket and wrapping it around Betty as her teeth started to chatter vigorously and she sat on the lip of the trunk. “God, Betty,” he said with a chuckle as he pulled on dry clothes. 

“That was d-d-d-dumb.” She shivered and he nodded, digging through his suitcase. He helped her into one of his sweatshirts, both of their breathing slightly heavy as he brushed hair behind her ear. They were close together for some time before she leaned forward, her lips crashing onto his. 

He gripped her shoulders, pulling her back roughly and furrowing his brows. “Betts,” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes running over her face for a moment. In a second, his hands were cupping her cheeks and they were kissing again, his hand getting tangled into her wet hair. 

His tongue traced her lips before it dipped into her mouth and she whimpered, her fingers curling in his hair and tugging lightly. He groaned at the feeling, kissing her harder (if that was possible).

His other hand snaked around her waist and he pulled her into him, Betty letting out a breathy moan when he pressed against her. 

“Jug,” she whispered breathlessly and he pulled back, both of their chests heaving. “I’ve never…” her cheeks flushed and he stepped back, rubbing his hands over his thighs. “I’m sorry-”

“We should-We should go, Betty.” She opened her mouth to speak and he cleared his throat. “Come on.” She nodded after a moment, breathing deeply as she got down and walked over to the passenger side of the car, flinching a little when he slammed the trunk closed. 

~

Betty watched Jughead with furrowed brows as he stared up at the ceiling, his hands folded on his stomach. He looked deep in thought but at the same time, he looked lost. She sighed quietly, chewing her lip a little. 

“Jug,” she whispered tentatively. It took him a moment, but he glanced over at her. “Just because I’ve never done it, doesn’t mean I don’t want to.” 

He nodded, looking back up at the ceiling. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said after he was silent for a few minutes. ”But this is pretending, right? We’re just… pretending. When we get home, you’ll forget about everything and I’ll just go back to being the guy you probably think is an alcoholic.” She frowned, not liking the words he spoke. 

“No, I’m not going to just forget about this.” He shrugged and she pushed the blankets off of herself, moving across the room to his bed. She sat down beside him and he clenched his jaw. 

“This is the most fun I’ve had in weeks, you know.” she said, smiling a little. “The most fun I’ve had in months, even.” He shrugged and she slowly laid down next to him. “My ex, he didn’t care about me, Jug. He was worried about getting some more than he was worried about respecting what I wanted.” He glanced over at her and she sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “He was going to be it, he was going to be the one because I looked past it, I thought it was _normal_ for a guy to… to pressure you like that—especially when they’re your boyfriend.” 

He furrowed his brows at her, a disgusted look on his face. “Betts, that’s terrible.” She looked over at him, nodding. “So, you two-you two didn’t…?” 

She sighed, looking back up at the ceiling. “Almost. We _almost_ did it, because like I said, I thought what he was doing was normal. But, what happened was that we were… I think we had just gotten home from a party or-or something and he was drunk and I was like, ‘You know what? Why not. He’s drunk, he won’t remember if I’m bad.’ So, he was… he took off his pants and he wasn’t…” Jughead cringed and winced, and she laughed. 

“I have never been so thankful for something before. Whoever the hell was watching over me in that moment knew I was doing something dumb and stopped it. And he broke up with me on the spot because I laughed. Like, I _cried_ laughing.” 

“Oh, Betty.” She groaned and continued to laugh as she covered her face. “In that moment, that man's self-esteem plummeted,” Jughead chuckled. 

“I know,” she mumbled. “But what was I supposed to do? Console him?” Jughead cringed again and she giggled, huffing. 

They laid in silence for long moments, their breathing and the air conditioner being the only sounds that filled the tiny hotel room. She glanced over at him after sometime, biting her lip before she breathily whispered, “Kiss me.” It was demanding and he looked over at her with furrowed brows. 

“What?” He asked softly, nervously. 

“Kiss me,” she said with a nod, but keeping her voice a hushed whisper. “Nothing more, nothing less. Just a kiss.” 

He narrowed his eyes a little, a small smile cracking his face. She fought not to grin as the corner of his eyes wrinkled, showing he was actually happy. “What kind of kiss?” he asked, moving slightly closer to her. 

“Um,” she whispered, biting her lip again before continuing with, “like, you’re kissing your girlfriend after a long day. But it doesn’t hint at anything more.” 

He smirked a little, cupping her cheek before closing the gap between them.

He kissed her delicately but deeply, pulling back and watching as her eyes fluttered open. “Like that?” She nodded, her eyes drooping a little. “It relaxed you,” he chuckled, brushing his thumb over her cheek. 

She smiled, nodding. “Do it again,” she whispered sternly. 

“Do it again?” He asked with a quirk of his brow. She nodded, both of them smiling into the second kiss. It was slow and long and just what she needed in that second. 

She sighed when they pulled apart, running her eyes over his face. “We should get some sleep, Betts.” he said softly, his hand still on her cheek. 

She nodded with another reluctant sigh, sitting up. She paused when he grabbed her wrist carefully and she looked back at him. “I didn’t say you had to leave,” he mumbled experimentally. 

She smiled a little, laying back down after a moment and getting under the blankets. He rolled so his back was against hers and she could feel the heat radiating from him—it was nice. 

“Goodnight,” he said, a grin on his face even though she couldn’t see it. 

She grinned herself, nodding. “Goodnight,” she whispered tiredly, falling asleep barely a second later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we get into the second part, I changed the rating just because there is light smut in this chapter.

Betty woke up to the sun shining through her eyelids and she smiled a little, feeling like she was at home. She sat with a start and a gasp a moment later, breathing heavily. “Aren’t we late?” she asked Jughead who was sitting in the chair in the corner, drinking from a cup of coffee with his laptop perched on his knees. 

“Don’t we have to leave? Why didn’t you wake me?” She looked at him with questioning eyes and he just seemingly ignored her, going back to whatever he was doing. “Hello,” she said sassily. He looked over his laptop a moment later and she breathed deeply. “We kissed last night…” he nodded, going back to his computer. “Oh my god, we kissed last night. And-And slept in the same bed and I told you…” she whimpered laying back down on the bed. “I wish I was hungover.”

He chuckled, sighing. “I was thinking about stopping for breakfast,” he said softly and she rolled over to face him. His laptop was now closed and he gave her a soft smile. “But if we want to do that, you gotta get up and get ready.” 

She watched him for a minute before she asked, “You don’t hate me for telling you to kiss me, right?” He sighed, setting his computer on the table in front of him next to his coffee. He stood up and her eyes followed him as he came to kneel beside the bed next to her. 

“Betty,” he started. “How can I hate you, when I kissed you? Listen, it’s not like we have boyfriends or girlfriends and it’s not like we have to strictly _stay friends_. We gotta kiss at the wedding anyway so they’ll buy it, so let's just say it’s practice.” 

He nodded, standing up and moving back towards the chair. “But,” she said softly, and he turned to face her. “What if I don’t want it to just be practice? What if I… liked it?” 

He smirked, shrugging as he sat down. “Then we’ll just see what happens.”

~

They had stopped for breakfast and had finished the drive to their hotel for that weekend. When they had gotten there, Jughead had brought in their things, Betty helping. When that was done, they had each fallen back on the bed, Jughead huffing. 

She glanced over at him, furrowing her brows. “Is there going to be a rehearsal dinner?” she asked with almost a frown. “I don’t see the need for rehearsal dinners. Just let people come in, say the bullshit they want to say while others eat, then let people get drunk and dance like they’re at home.”

He chuckled, looking over at her as he said, “I’m sensing you hate weddings as well.” 

“They’re just so… ritzy. Like, all the time.” He quirked a brow in response. She rolled onto her side, watching him. “Think about it. Mommy and daddy _always_ pay for their kids weddings and they _always_ look like they got inspiration from the fucking Met. I don’t want that. Courthouse wedding, that’s what I want. You sign the papers then you get the fuck out of there and go back to your day. It’s so much easier.” He looked at her with love and she blushed slightly. “What?” 

He shook his head, sighing. “Nothing.” 

She shrugged, rolling back on her back while she said, “Do you know how many guys I have pissed off by telling them I don’t want a ballgown and those nasty smelling bouquets and the big, huge chandelier?” 

“If I had to guess,” he chuckled. “Probably quite a few.” She giggled a little herself and he sighed. “Do you want kids?” 

She hummed, shrugging. “I don’t know, I think so—with the right person, that is. See, a lot of the guys I’ve been with in the past, if we had gotten married, I wouldn’t want kids. They all just screamed ‘not the right material’ you know? And no hate to them, but they just made me nervous around kids—not in a creepy way. It was more in a ‘If you piss me off, I might strangle you’ way.” 

“Oh my god,” he cringed and she looked over at him with a disgusted look, nodding. 

“Some of them were, like, super bad. But then there were others that I would probably have a few kids with. I trusted them around kids.” He nodded and she sighed. “You?” 

“I want kids. I mean, I leave for book signings and stuff, but that doesn’t happen often. But, then again, with Toni, she never wanted kids. So, for the longest time, I tried to convince myself that I didn’t want kids either… and I’m pretty shitty at doing that.” She laughed when her gaze met his and he huffed. “Right now, I want kids, but no wedding. Papers and I’m done. Maybe… a nice dinner afterwards.” 

“Okay.” She said with a nod. “Do you want to stay in the city forever?”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I love the city, don’t get me wrong, but the city… I couldn’t raise kids in the city. I’d be too paranoid to do that. I would probably move somewhere upstate. Somewhere quiet so I could write, but it also has to be close to shit because I’m not going to drive forty miles to get to the grocery store.” She agreed with a huff and he glanced at her. “You staying there?” 

She shook her head, rolling back on her side and folding her hands under her head. “I’m an RN.” His eyes widened and she giggled. “Yeah, I don’t know why I’m a bartender. That damn certificate has been sitting in my room for two years now. I don’t know… I don’t know.” she whispered, sighing. “I mean, I get paid pretty good, but that’s only because I’ve worked there for three years. I should get a job at a hospital, get paid even more, get better hours… but for some reason, I can’t.” 

“You will,” he said, giving her a small smile. “You’ll do it. You’ll realize that… that’s what you want, and you’ll go out and do it. Trust me, you think I didn’t sit on my first book for years?” 

“You were a teenager when you wrote it.” 

“Yeah, but a lot of teenagers can get published.” She sighed and he nodded once. “When the time’s right, you’ll do it.” 

“You think so?” she questioned him softly and he nodded tinily. They held each other's gaze for long moments, basically just blinking at each other. After another minute had passed, Jughead rolled towards her. 

“Jug, what are you-” his lips were on hers in a slow kiss, deeper than the one they had shared the night before and his tongue was dipping into her mouth as she gasped. 

Her arms wrapped around his neck as he moved to lay over her, his legs settling between hers when she wrapped her legs around his waist. He rolled the two of them a second later so she was straddling his thighs as they continued to get lost in the need and desperateness of their affair, the two of them sharing the last ounce of breaths they both had. 

They pulled back panting and breathing heavily, both of their eyes closed as they fought to get air back into their lungs. When they did finally open their eyes, they met each other's gaze like they had earlier and a small smile cracked across both of their faces. 

Betty sighed, Jughead reaching up and tracing her lips with his thumb. “God, that was perfect,” he whispered and she giggled, leaning down to kiss him quickly. When she pulled back, she swallowed thickly, her bottom lip drawn tightly between her teeth as she tucked hair behind her ear. 

She watched him closely, brushing hair off of his forehead as she quietly asked, “Was that just practice?” He nodded with a smirk and she laughed, kissing the tip of his nose. He scrunched his face up a little, blushing. “I think we got this act down.” He laughed, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply again. 

~

“Your pizza.” Jughead said jokingly as he handed the plate it was on to Betty. She took it with a thankful smile and he sat down in the seat next to her on the balcony. “So, you think you and I are ready for tomorrow?” 

She set her piece of pizza on her plate, setting it on the table next to her. She moved so she was kneeling, twisting her lips in thought, before she giggled out, “Maybe.” He shook his head with a smile, pulling out his cigarettes. “You know,” she started quietly. “They have wine tastings here on Friday’s.” 

He chuckled, tucking his lighter away after he got his cigarette lit. “Let me guess, you want to go.” 

“It’d help us practice for dinner.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Practice makes perfect.” 

He nodded, chuckling again. “You wanna go?” She nodded enthusiastically and he sighed. “I’m going to go shower then.” She smiled and he kissed the top of her head when he walked by, Betty sitting back down in her seat normally with glee coursing through her veins. 

~

Jughead grinned at Betty as she twirled a little in front of him, skipping to the elevator. He laughed quietly, wiping a hand over his face before he caught up to her. She smiled at him, kissing his cheek a moment later. “I think you find excuses to kiss me,” he said with a grin and she raised her brow. 

She draped her arms over his shoulders as they moved into the elevator, a blush covering her cheeks. “And what if I do?” 

“Wow,” he breathed. She furrowed her brows and he squeezed her waist lightly. “I got my bartender to swoon over me.” She groaned and threw her head back, Jughead cupping her chin a moment later to kiss her chastely. “I guess I should have asked you to go to a wedding with me sooner.” 

She rolled her eyes, pushing him away lightly. “I had a boyfriend the first time you asked me.” 

“True, but now you don’t.” She huffed, pursing her lips as she glanced over at him. “When we get home, I’m gonna take you on a real date.” 

“Isn’t a friend's wedding a real date? Or what we’re going to do now. Lots of people would consider wine sampling a real date.” He nodded and the elevator doors opened, the two of them walking out. 

“Okay,” he answered with another nod. “Then this is a date?” She smiled at him, nodding herself. “Planning a date has never been so easy.” She giggled, taking his hand when he held it out to her. 

~

Betty cringed, shaking her head. “That’s horrible.” Jughead furrowed his brows, taking the glass from her and sipping from it. He cringed himself and she laughed. “See?” 

“It’s bitter, it’s not horrible.” She shrugged, taking the other glass of wine she had. 

She nodded, humming. “This one’s much better. It’s more sweet.” 

“You like sweet wine?” She nodded, setting the glass down. He nodded, seemingly noting that characteristic about her. “So, red wine… no?” 

She shook her head, scrunching her nose. “It’s too strong—or the ones I always find are. I like white wine—moscato, mostly.” He nodded, and she huffed when he started to smirk. “I work in a bar, not a winery. I don’t drink wine often, it’s an indulgence.” 

“Indulgence?” he laughed and she laughed herself, a flush covering her chest and face. “Hey, you know your beer and liquor. Now, we just gotta add wine to your portfolio.” She shrugged, giggling at his smile. “Do you want to go back to our room? We already skipped the rehearsal dinner, we have to show up early so we don’t get our asses beat.” 

Betty gasped, giving him a wide-eyed look. “God, just because I complained about that does not mean we didn’t have to go. Jughead, they’re gonna hate me.” 

He shook his head as he handed the waiter his card. “You’ll be okay. I’m the one who let us miss it.” 

“Don’t tell them I wined about it.” He mimicked zipping his lips and she rolled her eyes jokingly, the waiter coming back and handing Jughead his card and their receipt. They were back in the elevator a moment later, Betty huffing. 

“We’re not dating,” she mumbled. He furrowed his brows and she looked over at him. “Right now, we’re not dating, we’re not a couple. When we get home, then we can talk about it.” 

He nodded, smirking a little. “You would make a great actress, you know that?” 

“We’re not dating,” she insisted. He narrowed his eyes slightly in amusement. “We’re pretending.” 

“Mm-hm. Pretending is the best.” She laughed when he kissed her quickly, Jughead smirking when they pulled apart. “Honestly, pretending is pretty easy.” She giggled, kissing his cheek just as the elevator doors opened. She skipped down the hall to their room, Jughead meeting her at their door a moment later. 

She watched as he unlocked and opened the door, hurrying inside to open the doors to the balcony. “It’s so pretty out here,” she said mostly to herself as she stared out over the vineyard.

“We were just out there,” Jughead responded with a chuckle as he pulled out a cigarette and stood beside her. “But yeah. It is pretty.” She squealed, sighing. 

“Are we staying at the ranch or here tomorrow night?” He blew out smoke from his mouth and she fanned the front of her face with a cough.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, moving to the other side of her. “The damn wind comes at the wrong time.” 

“You’re okay, Jug.” She whispered, resting her chin on his shoulder when he leaned against the railing of the balcony. 

“And to answer your question,” he said, taking another drag from his cigarette. “We’re staying here. We were supposed to stay at the ranch, but I cancelled that.” 

She watched him with soft eyes, brushing a curl off of his forehead when he looked back at her. “Why?” she questioned quietly. 

He shrugged, turning to face the vineyard again. “It gives us an excuse to leave earlier.” When he glanced back at her she pouted and he kissed her quickly, grinning at her small smile. “I love them, but Veronica and Archie can party all night—and I’m sure their wedding night is no exception. I need to write and oddly…” he shook his head, sighing as he looked away from her again. “I don’t know. You make me want to write. And I’m not even writing my book, I’m starting a new one and…” he huffed, wiping a hand over his face. 

She giggled, biting her lip. “What’re you writing?” He shook his head, a small smirk on his face that he was trying to hide. “I want to know.” 

“You’ll know one day… maybe,” he said with a sigh as he finished the last of his cigarette. She frowned a little, huffing. “Look.” He sighed, turning around and giving her shoulders a squeeze. “I started this… project yesterday morning. I have no fucking clue if I’m going to stick with it. And, if I do stick with it and I tell you about it, there’s no surprise when it comes out.” 

She continued to frown. “I don’t like that you’re right.” He grinned, kissing her forehead before the two of them moved inside. 

~

Betty pulled the covers back on the bed, laying down next to Jughead who was staring at his computer screen with disappointment written across his face. She sighed, laying on her back and looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t appreciate you getting a room with only one bed.” She said with a joking tone. 

“Do you want me to move?” he asked, a slight wince appearing on his face. 

“No, Jug-” she scoffed, rolling to face him—even if it was more so his torso rather than his face. “You’re fine. I was just kidding.” He watched her for a moment before he nodded, looking back at his computer. “You writing?” 

“I’m trying to,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t know where to go from here—and no, I’m not telling you what's happening.” She scrunched her nose up and he chuckled. 

He closed his laptop a moment later, setting it on the nightstand and turning off the lamp he had on. He laid down and turned so he was facing her, his eyes tracing over her features in the moonlight. 

“Jug,” she whispered, her voice cutting through the silence. “What's it like to write?” 

He furrowed his brows, tucking hair behind her ear. “What do you mean?” he asked in a hushed voice. 

She shrugged, watching his chest. “What’s it like? Like, what do you do and stuff.” 

“What do I do?” he chuckled and she rolled her eyes jokingly. “I don’t know, honestly. Half the time, when I write, I’m not… here. I don’t really realize I’m really doing it.” 

She moved closer to him, her gaze holding his. “How would you describe us?” 

He smiled a little and she watched him intently. “A fleeting chance at love.” She smiled, moving to straddle his waist. “Is that accurate?” 

“Yes,” she whispered breathily, leaning down and kissing him slowly. 

His hands slipped under her shirt and she gasped at the warmth they brought, Jughead smirking against her lips. She cupped his cheeks a second later, kissing him roughly. 

He rolled them so he was above her, her legs wrapping around his waist. His mouth moved over her jaw to her neck and she started to laugh and he smiled, picking his head up to look at her. “Are you ticklish?” 

“No,” she said with a horribly hidden smile. 

“You are…” he narrowed his eyes before he started to kiss at her neck again, Betty laughing until she was breathless and shoving him away. “You gotta tell me these things.” He said with a laugh himself and she giggled, cupping his cheeks. He kissed her slowly a breath later, his tongue dipping into her mouth and stroking against hers. 

They were both panting when they pulled apart but she pulled him back to her quickly, both of them getting lost in another kiss. She whimpered quietly, pulling him into her as she felt his hand creep higher up her shirt, his thumb stopping just underneath her breast. 

He pulled back with a deep breath, the tip of his nose touching hers. “I don’t want to overstep and hurt you, Betts.” 

She breathed heavily, shaking her head. She let go of his face, slowly reaching between them and pulling her shirt off. She dropped it off the side of the bed and onto the floor. He stared at her chest before he swallowed thickly, looking up at her face. “Touch me,” she demanded breathily. 

He kissed her hard before she could say anymore, his hands tentatively cupping her breasts a second later. She whimpered at the feeling, her hands slipping into his hair as her back arched and she twisted up into him. She moaned when he pinched her nipple, pulling back to catch her breath. “Are you okay?” he asked. 

She nodded, her hands slipping under his shirt. “Will you take it off…” she breathed. “Please?” she asked as her gaze found his. He nodded, sitting back so he could pull it off before he tossed it above hers on the ground. She took in his whole body, letting out a sharp breath. “Okay, sit-sit…” she motioned to the bed beside her and he did so slowly. 

“Betts, we don’t have to do anything,” he said to her, pulling the blanket over his waist. 

She shook her head, watching him as she sat up, not bothering with the blanket. “I want to,” she said with a nod. “I waited… I waited for the perfect guy and I thought I’d find him in high school; I didn’t. I thought I’d find him in college; I didn’t. And I’m not settling because… I really do like you, even if it all happened by accident.” 

He chuckled quietly, cupping her cheek. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. But do you seriously want to do this? I don’t want to do something you’ll regret.” 

“I want to,” she said with a nod, pulling the blanket off of his waist and straddling his thighs. “I really, really want to.” She kissed him before he could question her again, her hand sitting low on his stomach. “Just… be careful.” 

“I will,” he said with a nod, rolling her so she was on her back. She bit her lip and he sighed. “You can back out, okay? Or if you feel uneasy at any time, tell me.” She nodded, pulling his face back to hers and kissing him deeply. “Fuck,” he mumbled, pulling back. “I need… shit, hold on.” He got out of the bed and moved over to his suitcase, he dug around for a few too many minutes before he came back, flashing the wrapper at her. “Okay?” 

“As long as you’re not expecting me to put that on you, yes.” He held back a laugh, shaking his head as he got back in bed. She moved to push her underwear off, freezing after a moment. “You won’t… you won’t hurt me, right?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well…” she shrugged sheepishly, running her eyes over his face. “Doesn’t it usually hurt?” 

“Betts, there’s no way of telling if it will or not and I can’t control… we don’t have to do this-”

“No!” She huffed, cupping his face. “Jug, I want to, I swear. You… I have questions and I know your first time was way different than what mine’s going to be like, but have-have you been with a girl for her…” 

“Yes, but everyone’s different. Just because one person… just because they hurt more than anything, doesn’t mean that you’ll hurt like that. It… it’s a guessing game and nobody has sufficient answers for it.” She sighed, nodding. “If you’re that nervous, maybe we should wait.”

“I’m not nervous, I just don’t want to ruin it for you-”

“Betty, mnh-mnh, we’re not doing that.” She watched him closely and he gave her a soft look. “I’m not worried about me. I’m not worried about what I want, I’m not worried about what I need. This is for you, okay? Don’t worry about me, please.” 

She brushed his hair back, giving him a small smile. “Easy.” He nodded and she did the same, pulling his face to hers and kissing him until she melted into the bed. She pushed her underwear off a moment later, Jughead kicking off his boxers before he opened the condom, rolling it on. He stilled above her and she let out a deep breath. 

“If you want to stop, tell me.” She nodded, looking up at the ceiling when she felt him nudge her carefully. She gasped when he started to push inside of her, furrowing her brows a moment later. “God, Betts, I…” he huffed, gripping her hips when she wriggled. 

“Oh god,” she said. “I’m broken.” 

“No,” he laughed, kissing her cheek when he looked at her. “Betts, you’re not broken.” 

Tears pooled in her eyes and she nodded. “I waited too long and now I’m broken.” He pulled out of her when she cried, her hands covering her face. “This is so embarrassing.” 

“Betts, nothing bad is wrong.” He said, smoothing his hand over her hair soothingly. “If you don’t want to do this-”

“Stop! No!” She groaned, wiping her face. “That’s not why I’m upset. I'm upset because… I’m broken.” 

“You’re not broken,” he chuckled, smoothing his thumb over her cheek. “Betts, nothing has ever… you know. It… it’s gonna take a moment.” 

She sighed, nodding. “Can we try again?” 

He laughed, nodding. “Yes.” 

He kissed her slowly, waiting until she was wrapping herself around him to nudge at her. She gasped, biting her lip as he started to push into her. Her head pushed back into the pillow and she squeezed her eyes shut at the light sting she felt. 

He stilled, breathing heavily. “Oh my god,” she mumbled, panting herself. He waited and when she looked at him, she could see the sweat pooling on his forehead. He was visibly holding back. “Move, Jug. Please.” 

He did as she said a moment later, slowly pulling out of her before sinking back inside. She wriggled slightly as he moved deeper inside of her, her bottom lip drawn tightly between her teeth. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice strained. She nodded fervently, pulling his face to hers and kissing him as roughly as she could. He found a careful pace after a few tentative thrusts, her legs wrapping around his waist as she buried her head in his neck. 

He let out a shaky breath, his hand moving between them and she gasped when he started to rub her clit. She breathed heavily, moaning as the pain she felt began to become nonexistent, pleasure drowning it out. She bit her lip as she felt her legs start to tremble, her nails digging into his back. 

He grunted quietly, huffing. “Fuck, Betts,” he groaned out and she moaned, her hips meeting his last few thrusts before she felt her legs shake vigorously, white covering her vision as she moaned his name loudly. 

When she registered what was going on seconds later, his head was resting on her shoulder as he panted heavily. She was breathing hard herself as she smiled tinily. She tried to mumble out words but he just shushed her, picking up his head and smoothing hair off of her forehead. 

She gripped his wrist when he cupped her cheek and he chuckled. “Don’t try to talk,” he whispered and she sighed, leaning into his touch and closing her eyes. She felt his lips press to her forehead soothingly before she felt him pull out of her. She winced and whimpered softly at the drag and he smoothed his thumb over her cheek. “I’m sorry, Betts.”

He stood up out of the bed a second later and she gave him a panicked look. “Where are you going?” she said in a haste. 

“Hey, woah, it’s okay,” he said calmly, stepping back over to her. “I’m gonna go get a rag, okay?” She furrowed her brows before she nodded. “I’ll be back.” She clenched her jaw but nodded, watching him grab his boxers as he walked away. 

He came back out of the bathroom a minute later, giving her a careful look. He walked over to her, motioning to the blanket. “Can I?” he asked softly.

She nodded, sitting up. She watched as he slowly pulled the blanket back and she cringed. “I’m sorry.” 

“No, Betts. Don’t apologize, I’ll call for a change of sheets.” She nodded nervously, hiding her face with her hands as he cleaned her. He kissed the top of her head minutes later and she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. He handed her her t-shirt and she took it with a thankful smile. 

“You okay with your decision?” he asked as he leaned forward on the bed. She nodded with a small sheepish smile and he chuckled. “God, you’re precious.” He kissed the tip of her nose before moving over to the phone.

~

“I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.” Jughead whispered to the worker who had come to change the sheets. “Things happen,” he chuckled. The older woman nodded and he adjusted Betty in his arms, stroking her hair at her whine. “Let me get my wallet-”

“You don’t have to do that,” The woman said sweetly. 

“Let me,” he said with a small smile as he fumbled with his wallet. He pulled out a fifty, stepping over to the woman. “Thank you. You’ve been a huge help.” 

She gave him a bright smile, taking the money. “No, thank _you_. And she is quite beautiful. Is she your wife?” 

He chuckled, following her to the door. “Maybe one day.” 

The lady gave him a smile and she waved. “Have a goodnight.” 

“You too.” She nodded to him and he closed the door softly with his foot, adjusting Betty again. She whimpered, curling herself up in his arms. He sighed as he laid the two of them on the bed, tucking the blankets around her before he got under them himself. 

She reached for him, stretching against him before she wrapped herself around him. He smiled to himself at the intimacy of it, holding her head to his chest and just cherishing being there with _her_. 

Weeks ago, she was his bartender. She was the person he saw every night and the person who cut him off when he got just a little too woozy. 

Days ago, she was the woman who had agreed to go on a road trip with him for a wedding she didn’t _have_ to attend. She was drunk when she agreed, but she stuck to her word that he didn’t hold above her head. 

Hours ago, she was the woman he _thought_ he was falling for. The shared kisses and hushed exchanges made his heart race, his blood boil (in a good way, always), but that’s all he thought it would be—random moments where they got a little too caught up in their lust. 

Now, she‘s Betty Cooper, the woman he’s now oddly hoping he’d marry all because a worker asked if she was his wife. 

He smiled down at her, kissing the top of her head delicately. “I think I’m in love with you,” he whispered into the darkness, holding her close until he fell asleep. 

~

Betty stretched against Jughead, whining as she buried her face into his neck against the morning sun that shined brightly through the window. His arm wrapped around her protectively and he reached his head down blindly, kissing her before either of their eyes were even open. 

She smiled into it, sitting up a little and cupping his face as she leaned into the kiss. He groaned quietly, squeezing her hips before they pulled apart, both breathless. He watched as she smiled, her eyes still closed for long moments afterwards. 

“Good morning,” he whispered gruffly with a chuckle to follow. 

She hummed, her eyes opening. “Good morning,” she repeated. . 

He watched her with a sleepy smile, running his eyes over her face as he tucked hair behind her ear, his pointer finger tracing down her jaw. “You’re beautiful,” he mumbled. “You know that?” 

She blushed, rolling over so her back was against his front. “It’s too early for that,” she responded in a hushed whisper, her cheeks flaming still. 

“It’s never too early to call you beautiful.” She bit her lip as he placed a singular kiss to her neck, his hand resting on top of hers. He threaded their fingers together, the two of them watching out the balcony window. 

As the silence between them grew, the need to fall back asleep wrapped carefully in Jughead’s arms grew within her and just as her eyes were on the verge of falling closed he asked, “How do you feel?” 

She shrugged, groaning as she rolled onto her back. He propped his head up with his hand and she watched him carefully for a moment. “Why do you care?” she asked, genuinely confused on why he would care about such a thing. Most men in her mind could probably care less. 

“Because,” he started with a small smile. “I care about how you feel—especially if we’re going to have to go sit through an hour-long ceremony plus a reception.” 

She ducked her head a little, toying with the blanket a moment before she sighed, “I feel okay. Tender, but okay—and good. I feel good, too. I don’t get what I was so worried about.” 

“You’re okay?” 

She nodded, smiling. “I’m okay.” 

“Good.” He kissed her quickly before sitting up with a huff. “Breakfast?”

“You read my mind.” 

~

Betty cleared her throat, bringing her right knee up to her chest and resting her chin on it. “So, what kind of couple are we thinking?” Jughead furrowed his brows as he sipped from his coffee and she sighed. “You know how there’s different types of couples. You have the ones that are on top of each 24/7, tongues down each other's throat, hands down each other's pants.” He cringed and she giggled. “No?” 

“No,” he laughed and she grinned. 

“Okay… so, are we feeling the clingy couple type? They’re like the last ones, just less sexual.” 

He shook his head and she bit back a laugh at the look in his eyes. “Low key, that’s what we are. If we’re anything but that, Veronica will sniff out us faking in a heartbeat.” 

“Low key?” He nodded. “I can do low key,” she said with a nod herself. “Who’s gonna be at the wedding?” 

He shrugged, leaning back in his seat. “Eh, I have no clue. I mean, close friends—theirs—family, other distant friends and relatives. As of now, I don’t think I know anyone besides Archie, Veronica, Archie’s parents and Veronica’s parents.” 

“We won’t run into any exes who are still swooning?” 

He chuckled, shrugging. “I don’t know, I guess we’ll find out.” She narrowed her eyes jokingly and he just grinned, the slight breeze blowing her hair back gently. “You want the shower first?” 

She stood up, holding out her hand. “Save water.” He laughed, letting her pull him up out of the chair as they moved from the balcony to the bathroom. 

~

Jughead hissed through his teeth, leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom as he crossed his arms over his chest. Betty turned around quickly, furrowing her brows in question. “What?” she asked innocently as she looked in the mirror over her shoulder. “Is there something on my dress?” She examined the fabric and he shook his head. “Then what?” she asked more assertively, following the question with a huff. 

“I thought you’re not supposed to look better than the bride.” 

She frowned and he raised a brow. “That’s not nice.” 

“Trust me, Veronica is gonna look gorgeous no matter what she has on but Betty, you’re stunning.” 

She rolled her eyes, stretching her neck a little and looking at him in the mirror. “That doesn’t make it nice.” 

“Veronica would agree.” He kissed her cheek when he stepped over to her and she wrinkled her face up a little, giving him a slightly incredulous look a moment later. “I’ll tell Veronica how amazing she looks and how she couldn’t top anyone at her wedding.” 

“Thank you.” It was his turn to roll his eyes and he sighed. “I think I’m ready.” He winked, taking her hand as she laughed a little.

~

Betty picked up the wedding program swiftly as she hurried after Jughead through the doors of the church, following him to a seat and sitting down beside him carefully. He groaned quietly, adjusting uncomfortably in his spot on the pew. 

“These things are fucking painful,” he complained, adjusting again. 

Betty frowned, shoving his knee lightly. “Complaining was supposed to be left in the car.” 

“Oh, tell me your ass doesn’t already hurt.” She sighed, shaking her head as she scoffed. “How long do we sit here for?” He leaned over her shoulder as she opened the program, scanning their eyes over it. “I don’t get it.” 

“I think this is why you don’t want a wedding.” He shrugged and she sighed. “This side is the wedding party—parents, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girl, ring bearer, vocalist and their organist.” He cringed at the fumble of words, watching as she flipped the paper over. “Here is the ceremony order. Prelude—which is what’s going on now—which is followed by the processional and so forth. Understand?” He gave her a questioning look and she chuckled. “You’re cute when you’re confused.” She kissed his cheek and he tried to pin down the blush that was rising up his neck.

“When does it start?” he asked after a minute as he adjusted the neck of his shirt. 

“It doesn’t say, Jug.” He huffed, leaning back in his seat. “You’ll live, calm down,” she laughed and he just rolled his eyes. 

After some time, the music swelled and Archie’s parents moved down the aisle. Betty smiled at the couple, wondering how long they had been together. Maybe she would ask Jughead later, but only if the conversation allowed it. 

They were followed by who she assumed was Veronica’s mother and Archie was soon to follow. Jughead’s face had grown a somber look when Archie got to the altar, and it seemed as if he was suddenly realizing the seriousness of the situation. 

The bridesmaids and groomsmen came out, Jughead stifling a laugh. She gave him a disappointed look and he huffed. “Can you imagine me having to do that? God, I’d look so stupid.” 

“You are a child,” she whispered with an amused look. 

He shrugged, stifling another laugh. She rolled her eyes jokingly, the two of them standing as everyone else around them did. Betty watched over his shoulder and he moved so she could see better as the doors opened. She gasped, her eyes widening. “Woah,” she whispered and Jughead chuckled. “Holy shit.” 

Veronica’s dress was a ballgown and the top was sheer. It was off the shoulder and she had long sleeves that had lace flowers at the top that were led down the bodice, a few scattered about at the top of her skirt. It had a low cut back and everyone was watching her with intent and curious eyes. 

They lowered back down into their seats a moment later and Betty glanced over at Jughead, smiling sadly at the tears that were brimming his eyes. “Jug,” she whispered and he glanced over at her, shaking his head. 

“He’s a brother to me and he’s getting married.” Jughead shrugged, looking back at Archie and Veronica. “He’s getting married.” She moved into his side, hugging his waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. 

~

Betty stayed close to Jughead’s side as he moved over to Archie and Veronica who gave them bright smiles. Jughead clapped Archie on his back when he was close enough and he gave Veronica a polite nod, Betty giving them each smiles. 

“Congratulations,” Jughead said sheepishly, a flush filling his face. “The ceremony was beautiful.” 

“Jughead, saying beautiful? What have you done with our old Jug?” Betty hid her face slightly and Veronica just offered her a smile. “You must be the infamous girlfriend,” 

Betty nodded and Jughead stepped away slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Betty Cooper.” 

Veronica smiled, shaking the hand that Betty held out to her. “Veronica Lodge-Andrews.” 

“You’re hyphenating?” Veronica gave Archie a pointed look at the question and he nodded. “She’s hyphenating. Archie Andrews.” 

“Hi,” Betty whispered as she shook his outstretched hand. “Your wedding, it was lovely. Thank you for… thank you.” 

Veronica gave Jughead a look of almost adoration and he rolled his eyes, looking down at his feet as his face turned red. Betty bit her lip to hide her grin, squeezing his hand. “We’re glad you two came. We were starting to think you weren’t real.” Veronica laughed and Betty nodded, giving Jughead a look. 

“Uh, we’re gonna let you… talk with everyone else,” he said before clearing his throat. “Congratulations again.” 

They nodded before Betty and Jughead walked away, moving to their table. “She’s very nice. Archie is too.” Betty said with a small smile as she sat down next to him. 

“You like them?” She nodded, humming. He chuckled, nodding with a small smile. “Good, I’m glad.” 

~

Jughead twirled the drink around in his glass, leaning back in his chair as he watched Betty nod along to a guy at the bar as she waited for her own drink. He was talking her ear off about something and she was responding to what he was saying dramatically with drawn out answers and exaggerated nods. 

“Wow,” she said after a moment and Jughead shook his head, quelling down a laugh. “That is something.” She gave the man a grin and he narrowed his eyes a little at her. Jughead furrowed his brows, adjusting in his seat. 

“I’d love to see what your lips look like wrapped around my cock.” 

Jughead cringed at the open comment, wondering how they went from their previous conversation to that in seconds. She visibly fought a gag before she gave the guy her most innocent look she could muster. Jughead watched her with furrowed brows, wondering what she was going to say or do.

“That would hurt,” she said, sipping from her drink.

The man gave her a confused look. “What, why?” he asked incredulously. 

“Roosters scratch, you know.” She sipped her drink and hid her smile as she heard Jughead start to laugh behind her. 

The guy gave her an almost disgusted look, cursing her out to himself as he walked away. She laughed, skipping over to Jughead. 

“The shit you say,” he laughed and she set her drink down, lowering herself into his lap. “I’d honestly like to look inside your brain.” She shook her head as she wrinkled her nose and he chuckled, kissing her quickly. 

“I want to dance,” she said after a few moments had passed, standing up and giving him a pointed look. 

“Betts, I’m good right here.” 

She shook her head. “Come on. Boyfriends dance with their girlfriends, Jug.” 

“You’ve used that excuse way too many times tonight,” he finished his drink, standing with a huff. “But I’ll let you use it again because you’re cute.” She squealed quietly in delight, taking his hand and tugging him to the dance floor. 

He watched her bounce around and dance with a smile, his heart warming. Even if he wasn’t putting much effort into his dancing and if he really didn’t want to be there, seeing her happiness made him feel better. 

“Don’t your feet hurt?” he asked after a few minutes. 

Betty shrugged, her grin never faltering. “I’ll be okay.” He shook his head with a scoff and she groaned. “Can we go outside?” 

“Betts, we are outside.” 

She frowned, pulling on his arm. “I mean somewhere that isn’t right here.” 

He chuckled, threading his fingers through hers when she grabbed his hand. “There’s a pond back there a little.” 

“Do you know what happened the last time we ended up at a body of water?” 

“We can sit on the deck, Betts—no getting in.” She giggled, holding his arm and getting him to stop. “What are you doing?” 

“Taking off my heels, my feet hurt.” She pouted and he rolled his eyes jokingly before giving her a told-you-so look. “Don’t get cocky,” she said with a scoff as she started walking ahead of him. “Come on!” 

He sighed, tucking his hands in his pockets as he followed her, directing her towards the pond. She skipped over to the dock, spinning a little and tilting her head back as the wind blew. He felt his heart swell in his chest, shaking his head incredulously as he moved around her to sit on the edge of the dock. 

“I like it here _much_ better,” she said as she sat down next to him. “You can see the sky.” She smiled before she shivered. 

“Cold?” She shrugged and he pulled his jacket off slowly, draping it over her shoulders. She gave him a smile as a thanks, pulling it tighter around herself as she looked back to the water. He pulled out his cigarettes and lit one, furrowing his brows when she laid down. 

“What are you doing?” he asked with a laugh. 

She looked over at him with a giggle. “I’m stargazing.” He narrowed his eyes at her a little in adoration, laying down beside her as he took a drag from his cigarette. “Isn't it beautiful?” she whispered as she moved closer to him. 

He nodded, glancing over at her and taking in the way the moon shined over her. The glow gleamed over her face and her eyes, giving them a shiny glint that sparkled. It brought out the green in her eyes, and that brought out the green in her dress. He smiled to himself, looking back up at the sky and taking another drag from his cigarette. 

“Do you think they know we left?” she asked, tilting her head to look at him. 

He glanced at her, shaking his head. “There’s too many people there for them to realize the two of us left.”

“Promise?” He nodded with furrowed brows and she nodded herself, looking back at the sky. “Can you whistle?” 

He laughed, giving her a questioning look. “What?” 

“Can you whistle?” she asked with a laugh. 

He scoffed, shrugging. “I don’t think so, no.” 

She pouted. “I wish I knew how to whistle, wouldn’t it be fun? Do you think they have classes that teach you how to whistle?” 

He laughed, shaking his head and snuffing out his cigarette. “I’m not sure. You should find one.” 

“Maybe I will.” He chuckled and she just smirked, biting her lip as she looked away from him. Her hand found his and she slowly threaded their fingers together like she had earlier, smiling when he started to rub his thumb over her knuckles. 

“When we get home…” she started quietly and he glanced over at her, watching her closely. “I want to go on a date. I know we already agreed to doing that, but I don’t want you to back out. I-I don’t…” she sighed, looking at him and holding his gaze. “This trip, I did something with you I’ve never done before and… and it was a lot. I’m always gonna remember it and I don’t… you can’t just forget about me, Jug. I don’t want to go back to just being your bartender, I couldn’t go back to just being your bartender. You’re so much more to me than that now and… I-I can’t push that away.” 

His eyes ran over her face and she chewed her lip, watching him with bated breath. “Trust me,” he laughed. “Betts, I can’t just… I can’t just forget about what we did. You’re so much more than my bartender now too, I swear.” She smiled a little, kissing him quickly. “We should go back, okay?” She nodded and they shared another kiss, this one slower and deeper than the first. 

They pulled back almost breathlessly, watching each other for another moment longer before they both stood up. He took her hand, helping her steady herself as she pulled her heels back on. They walked back to the reception hand in hand, happy smiles on their faces.

_fin._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was part 2! I had lots of fun writing this and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. All of your comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!!!

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, hi! I hope you liked the first part of this one-shot-turned-two-part-fic. I will try to have the next part posted some time next week! 
> 
> Also, I made a Tumblr to update y'all when I post one shots and update my fics. It is ultravioletviolet. It's there if you want to follow!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
